MS Chief Justice WARREN BURGER walking to podium inside what seems to be the White House. VP GERALD FORD, accompanied by wife BETTY FORD, enters the room, walks onto platform. Mr. Burger swears Mr. Ford into office. Zoom in to tighter MS of President and First Lady Ford.

Mr. Warren Burger introduces President Ford. Ford assumes podium. President Gerald Ford: "Mr. Chief Justice, my dear friends, my fellow Americans: The oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every President under the Constitution. But I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts. Therefore, I feel it is my first duty to make an unprecedented compact with my countrymen. Not an inaugural address, not a fireside chat, not a campaign speech, just a little straight talk among friends. And I intend it to be the first of many. I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many. If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman, my dear wife, as I begin this very difficult job. I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it. Those who nominated and confirmed me as Vice President were my friends and are my friends. They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under the Constitution in their name. It is only fitting then that I should pledge to them and to you that I will be the President of all the people. Thomas Jefferson said the people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. And down the years, Abraham Lincoln renewed this American article of faith asking, Is there any better way or equal hope in the world? "

President Gerald Ford: "In the beginning, I asked you to pray for me. Before closing, I ask again your prayers, for Richard Nixon and for his family. May our former President, who brought peace to millions, find it for himself. May God bless and comfort his wonderful wife and daughters, whose love and loyalty will forever be a shining legacy to all who bear the lonely burdens of the White House. I can only guess at those burdens, although I have witnessed at close hand the tragedies that befell three Presidents and the lesser trials of others. With all the strength and all the good sense I have gained from life, with all the confidence my family, my friends, and my dedicated staff impart to me, and with the good will of countless Americans I have encountered in recent visits to 40 States, I now solemnly reaffirm my promise I made to you last December 6: to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best I can for America. God helping me, I will not let you down. Thank you." President Ford thanks the audience, poses with his wife for a moment, exits.

President Gerald Ford: "Our relationship with the People's Republic of China is proving its importance and its durability. We are finding more and more common ground between our two countries on basic questions of international affairs. In my two trips to Asia as President, we have reaffirmed America's continuing vital interest in the peace and security of Asia and the Pacific Basin, established a new partnership with Japan, confirmed our dedication to the security of Korea, and reinforced our ties with the free nations of Southeast Asia. An historic dialog has begun between industrial nations and developing nations. Most proposals on the table are the initiatives of the United States, including those on food, energy, technology, trade, investment, and commodities. We are well launched on this process of shaping positive and reliable economic relations between rich nations and poor nations over the long term. We have made progress in trade negotiations and avoided protectionism during recession. We strengthened the international monetary system. During the past 2 years the free world's most important economic powers have already brought about important changes that serve both developed and developing economies. The momentum already achieved must be nurtured and strengthened, for the prosperity of the rich and poor depends upon it. In Latin America, our relations have taken on a new maturity and a sense of common enterprise. In Africa the quest for peace, racial justice, and economic progress is at a crucial point. The United States, in close cooperation with the United Kingdom, is actively engaged in this historic process. Will change come about by warfare and chaos and foreign intervention? Or will it come about by negotiated and fair solutions, ensuring majority rule, minority rights, and economic advance? America is committed to the side of peace and justice and to the principle that Africa should shape its own future, free of outside intervention." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "American leadership has helped to stimulate new international efforts to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to shape a comprehensive treaty governing the use of oceans. I am gratified by these accomplishments. They constitute a record of broad success for America and for the peace and prosperity of all mankind. This administration leaves to its successor a world in better condition than we found. We leave, as well, a solid foundation for progress on a range of issues that are vital to the well-being of America. (C/A of Senate Minority Leader HOWARD BAKER) What has been achieved in the field of foreign affairs and what can be accomplished by the new administration demonstrate the genius of Americans working together for the common good. It is this, our remarkable ability to work together, that has made us a unique nation. It is Congress, the President, and the people striving for a better world. I know all patriotic Americans want this Nation's foreign policy to succeed. I urge members of my party in this Congress to give the new President loyal support in this area. (appalsue) (C/A of Sen. BARRY GOLDWATER) I express the hope that this new Congress will reexamine its constitutional role in international affairs. The exclusive right to declare war, the duty to advise and consent on the part of the Senate, the power of the purse on the part of the House are ample authority for the legislative branch and should be jealously guarded. But because we may have been too careless of these powers in the past does not justify congressional intrusion into, or obstruction of, the proper exercise of Presidential responsibilities now or in the future. (applasue) There can be only one Commander in Chief. In these times crises cannot be managed and wars cannot be waged by committee, nor can peace be pursued solely by parliamentary debate. To the ears of the world, the President speaks for the Nation. While he is, of course, ultimately accountable to the Congress, the courts, and the people, he and his emissaries must not be handicapped in advance in their relations with foreign governments as has sometimes happened in the past."

President Gerald Ford: "At home I am encouraged by the Nation's recovery from the recession and our steady return to sound economic growth. It is now continuing after the recent period of uncertainty, which is part of the price we pay for free elections. Our most pressing need today and the future is more jobs, productive, permanent jobs created by a thriving economy. We must revise our tax system both to ease the burden of heavy taxation and to encourage the investment necessary for the creation of productive jobs for all Americans who want to work. Earlier this month I proposed a permanent income tax reduction of $10 billion below current levels, including raising the personal exemption from $750 to $1,000. I also recommended a series of measures to stimulate investment, such as accelerated depreciation for new plants and equipment in areas of high unemployment, a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 48 to 46 percent, and eliminating the present double taxation of dividends. I strongly urge the Congress to pass these measures to help create the productive, permanent jobs in the private economy that are so essential for our future. All the basic trends are good; we are not on the brink of another recession or economic disaster. If we follow prudent policies that encourage productive investment and discourage destructive inflation, we will come out on top, and I am sure we will. (applasue) We have successfully cut inflation by more than half. When I took office, the Consumer Price Index was rising at 12.2 percent a year. During 1976 the rate of inflation was 5 percent. We have created more jobs, over 4 million more jobs today than in the spring of 1975. Throughout this Nation today we have over 88 million people in useful, productive jobs, more than at any other time in our Nation's history. But there are still too many Americans unemployed. This is the greatest regret that I have as I leave office. We brought about with the Congress, after much delay, the renewal of the general revenue sharing. We expanded community development and Federal manpower programs. We began a significant urban mass transit program. Federal programs today provide more funds for our States and local governments than ever before, $70 billion for the current fiscal year. Through these programs and others that provide aid directly to individuals, we have kept faith with our tradition of compassionate help for those who need it. As we begin our third century we can be proud of the progress that we have made in meeting human needs for all of our citizens. We have cut the growth of crime by nearly 90 percent. Two years ago crime was increasing at the rate of 18 percent annually. In the first three quarters of 1976, that growth rate had been cut to 2 percent. But crime, and the fear of crime, remains one of the most serious problems facing our citizens."

President Gerald Ford: "I have been disappointed by inability to complete many of the meaningful organizational reforms which I contemplated for the Federal Government, although a start has been made. For example, the Federal judicial system has long served as a modal for other courts. But today it is threatened by a shortage of qualified Federal judges and an explosion of litigation claiming Federal jurisdiction. I commend to the new administration and the Congress the recent report and recommendations of the Department of Justice, undertaken at my request, on the needs of the Federal Courts. I especially endorse its proposals for a new commission on the judicial appointment process. (panning C/A of the Supreme Court) While the judicial branch of our Government may require reinforcement, the budgets and payrolls of the other branches remain staggering. I cannot help but observe that while the White House staff and the Executive Office of the President have been reduced and the total number of civilians in the executive branch contained during the 1970's, the legislative branch has increased substantially although the membership of the Congress remains at 535. Congress now costs the taxpayers more than a million dollars per Member; the whole legislative budget has passed the billion dollar mark. I set out to reduce the growth in the size and spending of the Federal Government, but no President can accomplish this alone. The Congress sidetracked most of my requests for authority to consolidate overlapping programs and agencies, to return more decisionmaking and responsibility to State and local governments through block grants instead of rigid categorical programs, and to eliminate unnecessary red tape and outrageously complex regulations. We have made some progress in cutting back the expansion of government and its intrusion into individual lives, but believe me, there is much more to be done, and you and I know it. (applsue) (C/A of Sen. HUBERT H. HUMPHREY) It can only be done by tough and temporarily painful surgery by a Congress as prepared as the President to face up to this very real political problem. Again, I wish my successor, working with a substantial majority of his own party, the best of success in reforming the costly and cumbersome machinery of the Federal Government. The task of self-government is never finished. The problems are great; the opportunities are greater." (C/A House Minority Leader Rep. JOHN RHODES)

(C/A House Minority Leader Rep. JOHN RHODES) President Gerald Ford: "America's first goal is and always will be peace with honor. America must remain first in keeping peace in the world. We can remain first in peace only if we are never second in defense. (applause) In presenting the state of the Union to the Congress and to the American people, I have a special obligation as Commander in Chief to report on our national defense. Our survival as a free and independent people requires, above all, strong military forces that are well equipped and highly trained to perform their assigned mission. I am particularly gratified to report that over the past 2 1/2 years, we have been able to reverse the dangerous decline of the previous decade in real resources this country was devoting to national defense. This was an immediate problem I faced in 1974. The evidence was unmistakable that the Soviet Union had been steadily increasing the resources it applied to building its military strength. During this same period the United States real defense spending declined. In my three budgets we not only arrested that dangerous decline, but we have established the positive trend which is essential to our ability to contribute to peace and stability in the world. The Vietnam war, both materially and psychologically, affected our overall defense posture. The dangerous anti-military sentiment discouraged defense spending and unfairly disparaged the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. (applause) The challenge that now confronts this country is whether we have the national will and determination to continue this essential defense effort over the long term, as it must be continued. We can no longer afford to oscillate from year to year in so vital a matter; indeed, we have a duty to look beyond the immediate question of budgets and to examine the nature of the problem we will face over the next generation."

President Gerald Ford: "As I look to the future, and I assure you I intend to go on doing that for a good many years, I can say with confidence that the state of the Union is good, but we must go on making it better and better. This gathering symbolizes the constitutional foundation which makes continued progress possible, synchronizing the skills of three independent branches of Government, reserving fundamental sovereignty to the people of this great land. It is only as the temporary representatives and servants of the people that we meet here, we bring no hereditary status or gift of infallibility, and none follows us from this place. Like President Washington, like the more fortunate of his successors, I look forward to the status of private citizen with gladness and gratitude. To me, being a citizen of the United States of America is the greatest honor and privilege in this world. (applause) From the opportunities which fate and my fellow citizens have given me, as a Member of the House, as Vice President and President of the Senate, and as President of all the people, I have come to understand and place the highest value on the checks and balances which our founders imposed on government through the separation of powers among co-equal legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This often results in difficulty and delay, as I well know, but it also places supreme authority under God, beyond any one person, any one branch, any majority great or small, or any one party. The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms. Guard and cherish it, keep honor and order in your own house, and the Republic will endure. It is not easy to end these remarks. In this Chamber, along with some of you, I have experienced many, many of the highlights of my life. It was here that I stood 28 years ago with my freshman colleagues, as Speaker Sam Rayburn administered the oath. I see some of you now, Charlie Bennett, Dick Bolling, Carl Perkins, Pete Rodino, Harley Staggers, Tom Steed, Sid Yates, Clem Zablocki, and I remember those who have gone to their rest. It was here we waged many, many a lively battle, won some, lost some, but always remaining friends. It was here, surrounded by such friends, that the distinguished Chief Justice swore me in as Vice President on December 6, 1973. It was here I returned 8 months later as your President to ask not for a honeymoon, but for a good marriage. I will always treasure those memories and your many, many kindnesses. I thank you for them all. My fellow Americans, I once asked you for your prayers, and now I give you mine: May God guide this wonderful country, its people, and those they have chosen to lead them. May our third century be illuminated by liberty and blessed with brotherhood, so that we and all who come after us may be the humble servants of thy peace. Amen. Good night. God bless you."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address: "I have learned already in this office that the difficult decisions always come to this desk. I must admit that many of them do not look at all the same as the hypothetical questions that I have answered freely and perhaps too fast on previous occasions. My customary policy is to try and get all the facts and to consider the opinions of my countrymen and to take counsel with my most valued friends. But these seldom agree, and in the end, the decision is mine. To procrastinate, to agonize, and to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a President to follow. I have promised to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America. I have asked your help and your prayers, not only when I became President but many times since. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizens. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it. As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to my predecessor in this place, Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family. Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must. There are no historic or legal precedents to which I can turn in this matter, none that precisely fit the circumstances of a private citizen who has resigned the Presidency of the United States. But it is common knowledge that serious allegations and accusations hang like a sword over our former President's head, threatening his health as he tries to reshape his life, a great part of which was spent in the service of this country and by the mandate of its people. After years of bitter controversy and divisive national debate, I have been advised, and I am compelled to conclude that many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court. I deeply believe in equal justice for all Americans, whatever their station or former station. The law, whether human or divine, is no respecter of persons; but the law is a respecter of reality. "

President Gerald Ford: "Mr. Chairman, delegates and alternates to this Republican Convention: I am honored by your nomination, and I accept it (applause) (C/A MS of First Lady BETTY FORD smiling and applauding. MS's of Ford Family. C/A of delegates on floor.) with pride, with gratitude, and with a total will to win a great victory for the American people. (applause) We will wage a winning campaign in every region of this country, from the snowy banks of Minnesota to the sandy plains of Georgia. (applause) We concede not a single State. We concede not a single vote." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "This evening I am proud to stand before this great convention as the first incumbent President since Dwight D. Eisenhower who can tell the American people America is at peace. (applause) (C/A of delegate standing with Ford and Dole sign. C/A of Vice-President NELSON ROCKEFELLER standing and applauding.) Tonight I can tell you straightaway this Nation is sound, this Nation is secure, this Nation is on the march to full economic recovery and a better quality of life for all Americans. (applause) And I will tell you one more thing: This year the issues are on our side. I am ready, I am eager to go before the American people and debate the real issues face to face with Jimmy Carter. (applause) (Delegates applauding. Delegates chanting.) The American people have a right to know firsthand exactly where both of us stand. (applause) I am deeply grateful to those who stood with me in winning the nomination of the party whose cause I have served all of my adult life. I respect the convictions of those who want a change in Washington. I want a change, too. After 22 long years of majority misrule, let's change the United States Congress. (applause) My gratitude tonight reaches far beyond this arena to countless friends whose confidence, hard work, and unselfish support have brought me to this moment. It would be unfair to single out anyone, but may I make an exception for my wonderful family, Mike, Jack, Steve, and Susan and especially my dear wife, Betty." (MS of several good ol' boy delegates in straw cowboy hats.)

President Gerald Ford: "I faced many tough problems. I probably made some mistakes, but on balance, America and Americans have made an incredible comeback since August 1974. (applause) (CU Vice-President NELSON ROCKEFELLER. MS's Ford family standing & applauding.) Nobody can honestly say otherwise. And the plain truth is that the great progress we have made at home and abroad was in spite of the majority who run the Congress of the United States. (applause) For 2 years I have stood for all the people against a vote-hungry, free-spending congressional majority on Capitol Hill. (applause) Fifty-five times I vetoed extravagant and unwise legislation; 45 times I made those vetoes stick. (applause) Those vetoes have saved American taxpayers billions and billions of dollars. I am against the big tax spender and for the little taxpayer. (applause) I called for a permanent tax cut, coupled with spending reductions, to stimulate the economy and relieve hard-pressed, middle-income taxpayers. Your personal exemption must be raised from $750 to $1,000. (applause) The other party's platform talks about tax reform, but there is one big problem, their own Congress won't act. (applause) 18.44 I called for reasonable constitutional restrictions on court-ordered busing of schoolchildren, but the other party's platform concedes that busing should be a last resort. But there is the same problem, their own Congress won't act. (applause) I called for a major overhaul of criminal laws to crack down on crime and illegal drugs. The other party's platform deplores America's $90 billion cost of crime. There is the problem again, their own Congress won't act. (applause) The other party's platform talks about a strong defense. Now, here is the other side of the problem, their own Congress did act. They slashed $50 billion from our national defense needs in the last 10 years. My friends, Washington is not the problem; their Congress is the problem. (applause) You know, the President of the United States is not a magician who can wave a wand or sign a paper that will instantly end a war, cure a recession, or make bureaucracy disappear. A President has immense powers under the Constitution, but all of them ultimately come from the American people and their mandate to him. That is why, tonight, I turn to the American people and ask not only for your prayers but also for your strength and your support, for your voice, and for your vote. (applause) I come before you with a 2 year record of performance without your mandate. I offer you a 4-year pledge of greater performance with your mandate." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "As Governor Al Smith used to say, Let's look at the record. Two years ago inflation was 12 percent. Sales were off. Plants were shut down. Thousands were being laid off every week. Fear of the future was throttling down our economy and threatening millions of families. Let's look at the record since August 1974. Inflation has been cut in half. Payrolls are up. Profits are up. Production is up. Purchases are up. Since the recession was turned around, almost 4 million of our fellow Americans have found new jobs or got their old jobs back. This year more men and women have jobs than ever before in the history of the United States. (applause) Confidence has returned, and we are in the full surge of sound recovery to steady prosperity. Two years ago America was mired in withdrawal from Southeast Asia. A decade of Congresses had shortchanged our global defenses and threatened our strategic posture. Mounting tension between Israel and the Arab nations made another war seem inevitable. The whole world watched and wondered where America was going. Did we in our domestic turmoil have the will, the stamina, and the unity to stand up for freedom? Look at the record since August, 2 years ago. Today America is at peace and seeks peace for all nations. (MS Secretary of State HENRY KISSINGER in audience.) Not a single American is at war anywhere on the face of this Earth tonight. Our ties with Western Europe and Japan, economic as well as military, were never stronger. Our relations with Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and mainland China are firm, vigilant, and forward looking. Policies I have initiated offer sound progress for the peoples of the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. Israel and Egypt, both trusting the United States, have taken an historic step that promises an eventual just settlement for the whole Middle East. The world now respects America's policy of peace through strength. The United States is again the confident leader of the free world. (applause) Nobody questions our dedication to peace, but nobody doubts our willingness to use our strength when our vital interests are at stake, and we will. (applause) I called for an up to date, powerful Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines that will keep America secure for decades. A strong military posture is always the best insurance for peace. (applause) But America's strength has never rested on arms alone. It is rooted in our mutual commitment of our citizens and leaders in the highest standards of ethics and morality and in the spiritual renewal which our Nation is undergoing right now." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "Two years ago people's confidence in their highest officials, to whom they had overwhelmingly entrusted power, had twice been shattered. Losing faith in the word of their elected leaders, Americans lost some of their own faith in themselves. Again, let's look at the record since August 1974. From the start my administration has been open, candid, forthright. (applause) While my entire public and private life was under searching examination for the Vice-Presidency, I reaffirmed my lifelong conviction that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only government but civilization itself. I have demanded honesty, decency, and personal integrity from everybody in the executive branch of the Government. The House and Senate have the same duty. (applause) The American people will not accept a double standard in the United States Congress. (applause) Those who make our laws today must not debase the reputation of our great legislative bodies that have given us such giants as Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Sam Rayburn, and Robert A. Taft. (applause) Whether in the Nation's Capital, the State capital, or city hall, private morality and public trust must go together. (applause) From August of 1974 to August of 1976, the record shows steady progress upward toward prosperity, peace, and public trust. My record is one of progress, not platitudes. My record is one of specifics, not smiles. My record is one of performance, not promises. (C/A's of huge ovation, some delegates holding up brooms to suggest a sweep in the elections.) It is a record I am proud to run on. It is a record the American people, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike, will support on November 2. For the next 4 years I pledge to you that I will hold to the steady course we have begun. But I have no intention of standing on the record alone."

President Gerald Ford: "We will continue winning the fight against inflation. We will go on reducing the dead weight and impudence of bureaucracy. We will submit a balanced budget by 1978. We will improve the quality of life at work, at play, and in our homes and in our neighborhoods. We will not abandon our cities. We will encourage urban programs which assure safety in the streets, create healthy environments, and restore neighborhood pride. (applause) We will return control of our children's education to parents and local school authorities. (C/A MS of Texas delegation getting to feet, one man holding up a small vinyl flag of Texas.) We will make sure that the party of Lincoln remains the party of equal rights. (applause) We will create a tax structure that is fair for all our citizens, one that preserves the continuity of the family home, the family farm, and the family business. (applause) We will ensure the integrity of the social security system and improve Medicare so that our older citizens can enjoy the health and the happiness that they have earned. There is no reason they should have to go broke just to get well. (applause) We will make sure that this rich Nation does not neglect citizens who are less fortunate, but provides for their needs with compassion and with dignity. We will reduce the growth and the cost of government and allow individual breadwinners and businesses to keep more of the money that they earn. (applause) We will create a climate in which our economy will provide a meaningful job for everyone who wants to work and a decent standard of life for all Americans. We will ensure that all of our young people have a better chance in life than we had, an education they can use, and a career they can be proud of. (applause) We will carry out a farm policy that assures a fair market price for the farmer, encourages full production, leads to record exports, and eases the hunger within the human family. We will never use the bounty of America's farmers as a pawn in international diplomacy. (applause) There will be no embargoes. We will continue our strong leadership to bring peace, justice, and economic progress where there is turmoil, especially in the Middle East. We will build a safer and saner world through patient negotiations and dependable arms agreements which reduce the danger of conflict and horror of thermonuclear war. While I am President, we will not return to a collision course that could reduce civilization to ashes." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "We will build an America where people feel rich in spirit as well as in worldly goods. We will build an America where people feel proud about themselves and about their country. We will build on performance, not promises; experience, not expediency; real progress instead of mysterious plans to be revealed in some dim and distant future. (applause) The American people are wise, wiser than our opponents think. They know who pays for every campaign promise. They are not afraid of the truth. We will tell them the truth. (applause) From start to finish, our campaign will be credible; it will be responsible. We will come out fighting, and we will win. (applause) Yes, we, have all seen the polls and the pundits who say our party is dead. I have heard that before. So did Harry Truman. I will tell you what I think. The only polls that count are the polls the American people go to on November 2. (applause) And right now, I predict that the American people are going to say that night, Jerry, you have done a good job, keep right on doing it. " (Shots of happy delegates standing and applauding.)

President Gerald Ford: "As I try in my imagination to look into the homes where families are watching the end of this great convention, I can't tell which faces are Republicans, which are Democrats, and which are Independents. I cannot see their color or their creed. I see only Americans. I see Americans who love their husbands, their wives, and their children. I see Americans who love their country for what it has been and what it must become. I see Americans who work hard, but who are willing to sacrifice all they have worked for to keep their children and their country free. I see Americans who in their own quiet way pray for peace among nations and peace among themselves. We do love our neighbors, and we do forgive those who have trespassed against us. I see a new generation that knows what is right and knows itself, a generation determined to preserve its ideals, its environment, our Nation, and the world. My fellow Americans, I like what I see. (applause) I have no fear for the future of this great country. And as we go forward together, I promise you once more what I promised before: to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America. God helping me, I won't let you down. Thank you very much." MS President Ford kissing BETTY FORD. They pose, wave to crowd.

MS President Ford sitting in Oval Office, delivering national address: "I, Gerald R Ford, have granted--" C/A of the White House portico, South Lawn, night-- "a full free and absolute pardon onto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States."

MS Soviet General Secretary LEONID BREZHNEV posing with President Gerald Ford at Finland Summit, 1975, Mr. Brezhnev making funny though aggressive nudging motions at Ford's ribs; detente. Quick MS Leonid Brezhnev meeting with Cuban Premier FIDEL CASTRO in Red Square, Moscow. MS Mr. Brezhnev sipping champagne with President RICHARD NIXON in Moscow, 1972. Various shots of Helsinki Accords conference, 1975.

DO NOT USE NARRATION. House Chamber of Congress, politicians standing, being seated. MS doorkeeper announcing the entrance of President GERALD FORD. MS's President Ford walking down center aisle, shaking hands with legislators. Wide MS President Ford at podium, shaking hands with Speaker of the House TIP O'NEILL and Vice President NELSON ROCKEFELLER. TLS's legislators standing, applauding President Ford for quite some time. MS's Tip O'Neill calling for order, banging gavel futilely. MS Tip O'Neill introducing the President to the House Chamber. MS Ford family (SUSAN and BETTY FORD, with an unidentifiable son) standing & applauding. Wide MS Presidential Cabinet & Supreme Court standing & applauding (notables here are Secretary of State HENRY KISSINGER and Chief Justice WARREN BURGER).

1976 Republican National Convention. Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) and his wife Nancy, standing next to U.S. President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford waving from stage; U.S. Senator and Vice-President nominee Bob Dole (R-KS) standing next to Reagan, U.S. Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller in BG. Young adult Caucasian men clapping. President Ford and Senator Dole raising their hands together on stage.

MSs President GERALD FORD delivering 1975 State of the Union Address to Joint Session of Congress: "The State of the Union is not good." MS two long-haired young men smoking marijuana from pipe in park. LS combine harvesting wheat in field. TLS body of car being lowered to chassis in automobile manufacturing plant. MSs uniformed West Point cadets marching during exercises. TLS long line of cars waiting to buy gas at station. MS Mr. Ford continuing speech: "Some people question their government's ability to make hard decisions and stick with them. They expect Washington politics as usual."

Sept 5, 1975 newsreel of assassination attempt on President Ford: MSs press contingent following GERALD FORD as he crosses street, headed toward the State Capitol in Sacramento, California; MS Secret Service pushing press away after shots fired; MSs LYNETTE ALICE FROMME (Manson family member Squeaky Fromme) being detained by authorities, later taken away in police car; TLS police squad car pulling away, several police officers walking in FG.

President Gerald Ford: "Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of the 95th Congress, and distinguished guests: In accordance with the Constitution, I come before you once again to report on the state of the Union. This report will be my last, maybe [ laughter ], but for the Union it is only the first of such reports in our third century of independence, the close of which none of us will ever see. We can be confident, however, that 100 years from now a freely elected President will come before a freely elected Congress chosen to renew our great Republic's pledge to the Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. (applause) For my part I pray the third century we are beginning will bring to all Americans, our children and their children's children, a greater measure of individual equality, opportunity, and justice, a greater abundance of spiritual and material blessings, and a higher quality of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (applause) The state of the Union is a measurement of the many elements of which it is composed, a political union of diverse States, an economic union of varying interests, an intellectual union of common convictions, and a moral union of immutable ideals. Taken in sum, I can report that the state of the Union is good. There is room for improvement, as always, but today we have a more perfect Union than when my stewardship began. (applause) As a people we discovered that our Bicentennial was much more than a celebration of the past; it became a joyous reaffirmation of all that it means to be Americans, a confirmation before all the world of the vitality and durability of our free institutions. I am proud to have been privileged to preside over the affairs of our Federal Government during these eventful years when we proved, as I said in my first words upon assuming office, that our Constitution works; our great Republic is a Government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. (applause) The people have spoken; they have chosen a new President and a new Congress to work their will. I congratulate you, particularly the new Members, as sincerely as I did President-elect Carter. In a few days it will be his duty to outline for you his priorities and legislative recommendations. Tonight I will not infringe on that responsibility, but rather wish him the very best in all that is good for our country." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "During the period of my own service in this Capitol and in the White House, I can recall many orderly transitions of governmental responsibility, of problems as well as of position, of burdens as well as of power. The genius of the American system is that we do this so naturally and so normally. There are no soldiers marching in the street except in the Inaugural Parade; no public demonstrations except for some of the dancers at the Inaugural Ball; the opposition party doesn't go underground, but goes on functioning vigorously in the Congress and in the country; and our vigilant press goes right on probing and publishing our faults and our follies, confirming the wisdom of the framers of the first amendment. (applause) Because of the transfer of authority in our form of government affects the state of the Union and of the world, I am happy to report to you that the current transition is proceeding very well. I was determined that it should; I wanted the new President to get off on an easier start than I had. When I became President on August 9, 1974, our Nation was deeply divided and tormented. In rapid succession the Vice President and the President had resigned in disgrace. We were still struggling with the after-effects of a long, unpopular, and bloody war in Southeast Asia. The economy was unstable and racing toward the worst recession in 40 years. People were losing jobs. The cost of living was soaring. (C/A of the Supreme Court sitting and listening) The Congress and the Chief Executive were at loggerheads. The integrity of our constitutional process and other institutions was being questioned. For more than 15 years domestic spending had soared as Federal programs multiplied, and the expense escalated annually. During the same period our national security needs were steadily shortchanged. In the grave situation which prevailed in August 1974, our will to maintain our international leadership was in doubt. I asked for your prayers and went to work. In January 1975 I reported to the Congress that the state of the Union was not good. I proposed urgent action to improve the economy and to achieve energy independence in 10 years. I reassured America's allies and sought to reduce the danger of confrontation with potential adversaries. I pledged a new direction for America. 1975 was a year of difficult decisions, but Americans responded with realism, common sense, and self-discipline. By January 1976 we were headed in a new direction, which I hold to be the right direction for a free society. It was guided by the belief that successful problem-solving requires more than Federal action alone, that it involves a full partnership among all branches and all levels of government and public policies which nurture and promote the creative energies of private enterprises, institutions, and individual citizens. (C/A of the Cabinet sitting & listening) A year ago I reported that the state of the Union was better, in many ways a lot better, but still not good enough. Common sense told me to stick to the steady course we were on, to continue to restrain the inflationary growth of government, to reduce taxes as well as spending, to return local decisions to local officials, to provide for long-range sufficiency in energy and national security needs. I resisted the immense pressures of an election year to open the floodgates of Federal money and the temptation to promise more than I could deliver. (applause) I told it as it was to the American people and demonstrated to the world that in our spirited political competition, as in this chamber, Americans can disagree without being disagreeable." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "Now, after 30 months as your President, I can say that while we still have a way to go, I am proud of the long way we have come together. (applause) I am proud of the part I have had in rebuilding confidence in the Presidency, confidence in our free system, and confidence in our future. Once again, Americans believe in themselves, in their leaders, and in the promise that tomorrow holds for their children. I am proud that today America is at peace. None of our sons are fighting and dying in battle anywhere in the world. And the chance for peace among all nations is improved by our determination to honor our vital commitments in defense of peace and freedom. I am proud that the United States has strong defenses, strong alliances, and a sound and courageous foreign policy. Our alliances with major partners, the great industrial democracies of Western Europe, Japan, and Canada, have never been more solid. Consultations on mutual security, defense, and East-West relations have grown closer. Collaboration has branched out into new' fields such as energy, economic policy, and relations with the Third World. We have used many avenues for cooperation, including summit meetings held among major allied countries. The friendship of the democracies is deeper, warmer, and more effective than at any time in 30 years. We are maintaining stability in the strategic nuclear balance and pushing back the specter of nuclear war. A decisive step forward was taken in the Vladivostok Accord which I negotiated with General Secretary Brezhnev, joint recognition that an equal ceiling should be placed on the number of strategic weapons on each side. With resolve and wisdom on the part of both nations, a good agreement is well within reach this year. (applause) (MS of Diplomatic Corps) 17.12 The framework for peace in the Middle East has been built. Hopes for future progress in the Middle East were stirred by the historic agreements we reached and the trust and confidence that we formed. Thanks to American leadership, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are brighter than they have been in three decades. The Arab states and Israel continue to look to us to lead them from confrontation and war to a new era of accommodation and peace. We have no alternative but to persevere, and I am sure we will. (applause) (C/A Secretary of State HENRY KISSINGER applauding, listening to speech) The opportunities for a final settlement are great, and the price of failure is a return to the bloodshed and hatred that for too long have brought tragedy to all of the peoples of this area and repeatedly edged the world to the brink of war."

President Gerald Ford: "We have had some successes, and there have been some disappointments. Bluntly, I must remind you that we have not made satisfactory progress toward achieving energy independence. Energy is absolutely vital to the defense of our country, to the strength of our economy, and to the quality of our lives. Two years ago I proposed to the Congress the first comprehensive national energy program, a specific and coordinated set of measures that would end our vulnerability to embargo, blockade, or arbitrary price increases and would mobilize U.S. technology and resources to supply a significant share of the free world's energy after 1985. Of the major energy proposals I submitted 2 years ago, only half, belatedly, became law. In 1973 we were dependent upon foreign oil imports for 36 percent of our needs. Today, we are 40 percent dependent, and we'll pay out $34 billion for foreign oil this year. Such vulnerability at present or in the future is intolerable and must be ended. (applause) (C/A of the Ford family applauding) The answer to where we stand on our national energy effort today reminds me of the old argument about whether the tank is half full or half empty. The pessimist will say we have half failed to achieve our 10 year energy goals; the optimist will say that we have half succeeded. I am always an optimist, but we must make up for lost time. We have laid a solid foundation for completing the enormous task which confronts us. I have signed into law five major energy bills which contain significant measures for conservation, resource development, stockpiling, and standby authorities. We have moved forward to develop the naval petroleum reserves; to build a 500 million barrel strategic petroleum stockpile; to phase out unnecessary Government allocation and price controls; to develop a lasting relationship with other oil consuming nations; to improve the efficiency of energy use through conservation in automobiles, buildings, and industry; and to expand research on new technology and renewable resources such as wind power, geothermal and solar energy. All these actions, significant as they are for the long term, are only the beginning. I recently submitted to the Congress my proposals to reorganize the Federal energy structure and the hard choices which remain if we are serious about reducing our dependence upon foreign energy. These include programs to reverse our declining production of natural gas and increase incentives for domestic crude oil production. I proposed to minimize environmental uncertainties affecting coal development, expand nuclear power generation, and create an energy independence authority to provide government financial assistance for vital energy programs where private capital is not available. We must explore every reasonable prospect for meeting our energy needs when our current domestic reserves of oil and natural gas begin to dwindle in the next decade. I urgently ask Congress and the new administration to move quickly on these issues. This Nation has the resources and the capability to achieve our energy goals if its Government has the will to proceed, and I think We do." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "I am the first recent President able to address long-term, basic issues without the burden of Vietnam. The war in Indochina consumed enormous resources at the very time that the overwhelming strategic superiority we once enjoyed was disappearing. In past years, as a result of decisions by the United States, our strategic forces leveled off, yet the Soviet Union continued a steady, constant buildup of its own forces, committing a high percentage of its national economic effort to defense. (C/A of Secretary of State HENRY KISSINGER) The United States can never tolerate a shift in strategic balance against us or even a situation where the American people or our allies believe the balance is shifting against us. The United States would risk the most serious political consequences if the world came to believe that our adversaries have a decisive margin of superiority. To maintain a strategic balance we must look ahead to the 1980's and beyond. The sophistication of modern weapons requires that we make decisions now if we are to ensure our security 10 years from now. Therefore, I have consistently advocated and strongly urged that we pursue three critical strategic programs: the Trident missile launching submarine; the B-1 bomber, with its superior capability to penetrate modern air defenses; and a more advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that will be better able to survive nuclear attack and deliver a devastating retaliatory strike. In an era where the strategic nuclear forces are in rough equilibrium, the risks of conflict below the nuclear threshold may grow more perilous. A major, long-term objective, therefore, is to maintain capabilities to deal with, and thereby deter, conventional challenges and crises, particularly in Europe. We cannot rely solely on strategic forces to guarantee our security or to deter all types of aggression. We must have superior naval and marine forces to maintain freedom of the seas, strong multipurpose tactical air forces, and mobile, modern ground forces. Accordingly, I have directed a long-term effort to improve our worldwide capabilities to deal with regional crises. I have submitted a 5 year naval building program indispensable to the Nation's maritime strategy. Because the security of Europe and the integrity of NATO remain the cornerstone of American defense policy, I have initiated a special, long-term program to ensure the capacity of the Alliance to deter or defeat aggression in Europe. (C/A of Sen. JOHN TOWER) As I leave office I can report that our national defense is effectively deterring conflict today. Our Armed Forces are capable of carrying out the variety of missions assigned to them. Programs are underway which will assure we can deter war in the years ahead. But I also must warn that it will require a sustained effort over a period of years to maintain these capabilities. We must have the wisdom, the stamina, and the courage to prepare today for the perils of tomorrow, and I believe we will." (applause)

President Gerald Ford: "I intend, on Monday next, to request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate the privilege of appearing before the Congress to share with my former colleagues and with you, the American people, my views on the priority business of the Nation and to solicit your views and their views. And may I say to the Speaker and the others, if I could meet with you right after these remarks, I would appreciate it. Even though this is late in an election year, there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people's urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together. To the peoples and the governments of all friendly nations, and I hope that could encompass the whole world, I pledge an uninterrupted and sincere search for peace. America will remain strong and united, but its strength will remain dedicated to the safety and sanity of the entire family of man, as well as to our own precious freedom. I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself. That bond, though stained, is unbroken at home and abroad. In all my public and private acts as your President, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end. My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy. As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate, more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars, let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate."

Panning MS President RICHARD NIXON walking main aisle of Congress w/ Vice President GERALD FORD & Rep. TIP O'NEILL during Joint Session, passing the likes of Secretary of State HENRY KISSINGER & Secretary of Treasury GEORGE SCHULTZ; MS Gerald Ford displaying his inimitable wit to Congress-- "I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln." H/a LS Congress applauding.

LS's & MS's QUEEN ELIZABETH and PRINCE PHILIP arriving at the White House, where they are welcomed by President GERALD FORD and First Lady BETTY FORD; the U.S. Army Band plays nearby; the Queen wears tiara, diamond jewelry, lemon-yellow dress all. All American male parties at the event, including the camera and sound men, are dressed in tuxedos. They enter the White House.

President Geral Ford toasts Queen Elizabeth II, "Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, distinguished guests: We are deeply honored to have you, and Prince Philip with you, this evening. On behalf of all Americans, Mrs. Ford and I take the greatest pleasure in extending the hospitality of the United States to you and your party who are visiting us. (applause) Your Majesty, this evening we honor a very remarkable relationship between two sovereign nations. During our 200 years as an independent nation, the United States has never forgotten its British heritage. Nearly four centuries ago, the British came to a wilderness and built a new civilization on British custom, British fortitude, British law, and British government. Our Founding Fathers served in British colonial legislatures, fought in British military forces, and learned representative self-government from British books and practice. Yet, for all this, the colonists from England and other lands created in America a civilization different from that of the mother country. Inevitably, we dissolved the political bands that connected us. The United States won independence and established a nation that adapted the best of British traditions to the American climate and to the American character. Our reconciliation, our friendship and firm alliance seem, in retrospect, to have been natural for two nations that share the same fundamental devotion to human dignity. Our first Ambassador to England, John Adams, foresaw that future when he spoke to your great-great-great-grandmother, Queen Charlotte, and said, Permit me, madam, to recommend to Your Majesty's royal goodness a rising empire and an infant virgin world. It will, in futures be the glory of these kingdoms to have peopled that country and to have sown there those seeds of science, of beauty, of virtue of piety, which alone constitute the prosperity of nations and the happiness of the human race. Now, 200 years later, we have settled our continent. People have come from every corner of the Earth to share in the hope, the building, and the spirit of our Republic. On this Bicentennial, Americans have united in a new mood of hope and of confidence. We are very delighted by your very timely visit and by your gracious participation in this great reaffirmation of American pride. John Adam's prophesy has been fulfilled. Your Majesty, you personally attested to the accuracy of his vision (C/A's of Queen Elizabeth.) that England would someday be proud of the United States. In 1951 [1957], during your visit to Washington, you stated that free men everywhere looked toward the United States with affection and with hope. The message that has gone out from this great Capital City has brought hope and courage to a troubled world. This year, I know that you will find the warmth of your reception even greater than before. You will recognize in the American people a continuing, unswerving devotion to the principles that have made our two countries champions of freedom and a new American spirit of confidence and optimism as the United States enters its third century."

President Geral Ford toasts Queen Elizabeth II, "The ties that bind us together have, through two great wars, served as a bulwark in the defense of liberty and the dignity of man himself. These ideals, born and nurtured in our common past, have withstood the test of time. Our two nations today are working side by side in preserving freedom through commitment to a common defense in the Atlantic alliance, in pursuing peace and greater global stability, in seeking the well being of all peoples through our joint efforts, as in Puerto Rico, a little more than a week ago, to improve our own societies and to assist the developing nations of the world. Your Majesty, during the time of your reign and during my service in our own Government, the world has seen many, many changes. In the last generation, our two countries have met what sometimes seemed to be insurmountable obstacles and challenges.Today's challenges and obstacles are no less serious. They are different, and in many ways more complex, than those of the past. Yet I am confident that the democracies, working together, can and will proceed with courage and dedication to do as well as those first stalwart Englishmen who settled here, and their descendants who forged an independent nation, will ultimately and definitely prevail. In a changing world, our continuing relationship is a reassuring symbol of our determination to continue the defense of freedom. Your Bicentennial visit and the many, many generous gifts from the British people are vivid reminders of the continuing vitality of the friendship and our partnership in a noble endeavor. (Vice President NELSON ROCKEFELLER applauds) Your Majesty, as we celebrate our past, we also look forward with confidence to working for a better life for all humanity. In our third century, I know that the United Kingdom will be on our side and the United States will be on your side. (applause) Your Royal Highness, ladies and gentlemen, the Queen." (Everyone stands and toasts the Queen.)

President Gerald Ford: "The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society. During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad. In the end, the courts might well hold that Richard Nixon had been denied due process, and the verdict of history would even more be inconclusive with respect to those charges arising out of the period of his Presidency, of which I am presently aware. But it is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of this great country. In this, I dare not depend upon my personal sympathy as a long-time friend of the former President, nor my professional judgment as a lawyer, and I do not. As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am. As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience. My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquillity but to use every means that I have to insure it. I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy. Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true."

President Gerald Ford: "Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July (January) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974."

President Gerald Ford: "We Republicans have had some tough competition. We not only preach the virtues of competition, we practice them. (applause) But tonight we come together not on a battlefield to conclude a ceasefire, but to join forces on a training field that has conditioned us all for the rugged contest ahead. Let me say this from the bottom of my heart: After the scrimmages of the past few months, it really feels good to have Ron Reagan on the same side of the line. (MS's of somewhat bewildered (certainly honored) RONALD REAGAN, wife NANCY REAGAN at his side. Ron mouths the words What did he say? Reagans standing and waving to President Ford. MS's President and Mrs. Ford waving back.) To strengthen our championship lineup, the convention has wisely chosen one of the ablest Americans as our next Vice President, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas. With his help, with your help, with the help of millions of Americans who cherish peace, who want freedom preserved, prosperity shared, and pride in America, we will win this election. (applause) (MS of male delegate putting cigarette into mouth so he can applaud. MS of a rather stoic Ronald Reagan listening to speech.) I speak not of a Republican victory, but a victory for the American people. You at home listening tonight, you are the people who pay the taxes and obey the laws. You are the people who make our system work. You are the people who make America what it is. It is from your ranks that I come and on your side that I stand. (applause) Something wonderful happened to this country of ours the past 2 years. We all came to realize it on the Fourth of July. Together, out of years of turmoil and tragedy, wars and riots, assassinations and wrongdoing in high places, Americans recaptured the spirit of 1776. We saw again the pioneer vision of our revolutionary founders and our immigrant ancestors. (applause) Their vision was of free men and free women enjoying limited government and unlimited opportunity. The mandate I want in 1976 is to make this vision a reality, but it will take the voices and the votes of many more Americans who are not Republicans to make that mandate binding and my mission possible."

President Gerald Ford: "I have been called an unelected President, an accidental President. We may even hear that again from the other party, despite the fact that I was welcomed and endorsed by an overwhelming majority of their elected representatives in the Congress who certified my fitness to our highest office. (C/A's of delegates standing, applauding, waving signs.) Having become Vice President and President without expecting or seeking either, I have a special feeling toward these high offices. To me, the Presidency and the Vice-Presidency were not prizes to be won, but a duty to be done. (applause) So, tonight it is not the power and the glamour of the Presidency that leads me to ask for another 4 years; it is something every hard-working American will understand-the challenge of a job well begun, but far from finished. (applause) (C/A's of delegates standing, applauding, waving signs.) Two years ago, on August 9,1974, 1 placed my hand on the Bible, which Betty held, and took the same constitutional oath that was administered to George Washington. I had faith in our people, in our institutions, and in myself. My fellow Americans, I said, our long national nightmare is over. It was an hour in our history that troubled our minds and tore at our hearts. Anger and hatred had risen to dangerous levels, dividing friends and families. The polarization of our political order had aroused unworthy passions of reprisal and revenge. Our governmental system was closer to stalemate than at any time since Abraham Lincoln took the same oath of office. Our economy was in the throes of runaway inflation, taking us headlong into the worst recession since Franklin D. Roosevelt took the same oath. On that dark day I told my fellow countrymen, I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. (applause) On a marble fireplace in the White House is carved a prayer which John Adams wrote. It concludes, May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof. Since I have resided in that historic house, I have tried to live by that prayer." (applause)

MS President GERALD FORD and BETTY FORD walking Dick & Pat Nixon from White House and to waiting helicopter; MS Richard Nixon boarding Marine One helicopter, waving peace sign (victory sign); LS Marine One helo leaving White House grounds. MS Richard & Pat Nixon boarding Air Force One, turning to wave to crowd gathered at airport; TLS audience waving back; LS Air Force One taking off.

MSs Warren Commission - headed by Chief Justice EARL WARREN with GERALD FORD to his right, walking into White House with the infamous Warren Report; MS Earl Warren presenting Report to President LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON, former CIA Director ALLEN DULLES standing to LBJ's left, wearin bow tie. MSs President Lyndon Johnson delivering speech, speaking rather bluntly, honestly about free trade & labor unions. MS LBJ playing w/ two pet beagles (named Him & Her) on White House lawn, hoisting one up by the ears. MS First Lady LADY BIRD JOHNSON munching on a BBQ cow rib at one of their famous meat-a-thon barbeques. TLSs LBJ riding a horse on their Texas ranch.

National Federation of Republican Women hosts campaign event with Gerald Ford, during 1976 presidential campaign. nat. sound. Various people speak at podium before Ford appears - quick shots of them. Shots of men and women seated on stage. Ford enters amidst applause and shakes hands on his way to the podium. Quick cutaway to people in crowd waving signs. Cuts to his speech which is traditional Republican rhetoric: MS Ford speaking "...We can increase pupil teacher ratios. We can improve facilities ... (in-camera edit)...have purpose but do you want your president to accept, without a fight, budget busting appropriations bills! (He slams his fist down near the microphone!)" Crowd yells NO! "Let's put it another way. Do you want to be deep in the heart of Texas or deep in the heart of taxes." (mild laughter). Another question. Do you want your president to open the US treasury to every city that hasn't or won't responsibly manage its fiscal affairs? NO! Do you want your president to roll over and play dead while congress passes more and more legislation to strangle free enterprise? NO!" Audio out. VS people clapping, Ford stepping offo the podium. CU on him as he moves through crowd - dark. Press photographers around him.

Cut to COLOR shots of shots of people manning the emergency communication line between the Soviet Union, France and U.S. to avert an accidental Nuclear war. Cut to MS President GERALD FORD, wearing several layers of fur coats and hats, walking with what appears to be Henry Kissinger. Newsreel of Ford and LEONID BREZHNEV meeting in Vladivistok on arms control issue (d tente). Cut to B&W newsreel of Brezhnev meeting with Secretary of State CYRUS VANCE - the narrator says this meeting was not as successful as others as the Americans had not honored ealier agreements.

Panning MS U.S. President GERALD FORD practicing putting on green at Byron Nelson Pro-Am golf classic in Ft. Worth, Texas. TLS golf caddies resting near putting green, numerous golf bags and equipment. CU/MSs entertainer BOB HOPE practicing putting, missing hole. MS Gerald Ford walking on putting green, moving ball for Bob Hope, who's lining up shot. TLS crowd standing behind line. MS Bob Hope whistling, picking up ball.

Master 1910 Part 1 MS U.S. President Gerald Ford on sideline talking to University of Oklahoma Sooners collegiate football players. GVs as Ford and his bodyguards walk along the sidelines, massive crowd is seen in the stands. MS Ford waving to the massive crowd. MS Ford and bodyguards (secret service?) walking.

Master 1909 Part 1 GV men standing on stage at political event. LS large crowd gathered. LS/MS Gerald Ford speaking at podium. GV/MS crowd. MS Ronald Reagan speaking at podium. MS male reporter with microphone giving commentary.

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "But these seldom agree, and in the end, the decision is mine. To procrastinate, to agonize, and to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a President to follow."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to my predecessor in this place, Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family. Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "After years of bitter controversy and divisive national debate, I have been advised, and I am compelled to conclude that many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court. I deeply believe in equal justice for all Americans, whatever their station or former station. The law, whether human or divine, is no respecter of persons; but the law is a respecter of reality. "

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "In this, I dare not depend upon my personal sympathy as a long-time friend of the former President, nor my professional judgment as a lawyer, and I do not. As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience. My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquility but to use every means that I have to insure it."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address: "I have learned already in this office that the difficult decisions always come to this desk. I must admit that many of them do not look at all the same as the hypothetical questions that I have answered freely and perhaps too fast on previous occasions. My customary policy is to try and get all the facts and to consider the opinions of my countrymen and to take counsel with my most valued friends."

Footage of European Conference on Security and Peace in Helsinki (Helsinki Accords): various world leaders, including Brezhnev, President GERALD FORD and Sec of State HENRY KISSINGER arrive; shots of Ford & Brezhnev signing accord; C/As media covering event. Various shots young people in streets scenes; observation deck of Empire State Building; getting picture taken before the Eiffel Tower.

Master 1910 Part 1 GV as President Gerald Ford walks onto platform stage waving to his constituents. MS as Ford cuts the ceremonial ribbon. MS Ford at podium talking about the greatness of the United States.

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "I have promised to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America. I have asked your help and your prayers, not only when I became President but many times since. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizens. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "There are no historic or legal precedents to which I can turn in this matter, none that precisely fit the circumstances of a private citizen who has resigned the Presidency of the United States. But it is common knowledge that serious allegations and accusations hang like a sword over our former President's head, threatening his health as he tries to reshape his life, a great part of which was spent in the service of this country and by the mandate of its people."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society. During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "In the end, the courts might well hold that Richard Nixon had been denied due process, and the verdict of history would even more be inconclusive with respect to those charges arising out of the period of his Presidency, of which I am presently aware. But it is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of this great country."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy. Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true."

MS President Gerald Ford sitting in Oval Office, giving national TV address, continued: "Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July (January) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974."